Paramount+ has published a (brief) season five synopsis

[Lord Garth]

I'd say if it's been in every season since the first, it's the show's format.

I guess it also makes sense in universe as well, based on how they solved the Burn and 10-C, Discovery has become the Federation's rapid response, mystery solving team.

Too bad I can only give this post one like.

The way I see it is like this:

Discovery.
Discover the mystery.
They make... wait for it... wait for it!!! ... a Discovery!

Every mystery they'd have to uncover, everything they've had to discover, has been different each season. So I'm okay with it.

.
.
.

Complaining about this is like complaining about, "Oh no! Batman's going after criminals again?!" "James Bond has to save the world from a megalomaniac again?!" Yes. It's the format. It's what they do.

 

[The Wormhole]

Iconians maybe? Probably not. I’m guessing it’ll be something new.

Admiral Vance indicated in season 4 that contact had been reestablished with the Iconians, they were one of the suspects behind the DMA. So I don't think they'd qualify as "deliberately hidden." Though it could be someone mentioned in the other shows.

 

[UssGlenn]

Oh Gods, another one?! Were seasons 2,3 & 4 not enough with the whole season long mystery?

It has to be either a mystery or a war. I can't think of anything else that will require a ship to journey around to multiple places for one story over multiple episodes. You have any other suggestions? This limitation is one of the reasons why I don't think the Star Trek Starship format works well for season long arcs. Works great if you are on a Space Station, however.

 

[Tuskin38]

This one doesn't sound universe ending at least. Though they don't want the bad guys to get it, so it's probably still something powerful.

 

[fireproof78]

Complaining about this is like complaining about, "Oh no! Batman's going after criminals again?!" "James Bond has to save the world from a megalomaniac again?!" Yes. It's the format. It's what they do.

Exactly. This is Discovery. At this point, at the risk of sounding flip, it's a love it or leave it situation.

 

[Saul]

It has to be either a mystery or a war. I can't think of anything else that will require a ship to journey around to multiple places for one story over multiple episodes. You have any other suggestions? This limitation is one of the reasons why I don't think the Star Trek Starship format works well for season long arcs. Works great if you are on a Space Station, however.

There are plenty of things they could do based on the last 50+ years of Star Trek. Strange New Worlds is probably the best recent example. I don't think an arc needs to be just war or mystery. OK, lets do a save the universe arc then without the need to follow the breadcrumbs. Let's do a restore the Federation arc without needing to solve a mystery or save a universe. They've moved beyond established canon so they can pretty much do anything they want.

 

[Tuskin38]

There are plenty of things they could do based on the last 50+ years of Star Trek. Strange New Worlds is probably the best recent example. I don't think an arc needs to be just war or mystery. OK, lets do a save the universe arc then without the need to follow the breadcrumbs. Let's do a restore the Federation arc without needing to solve a mystery or save a universe. They've moved beyond established canon so they can pretty much do anything they want.

That's not what Discovery is.

 

[fireproof78]

There are plenty of things they could do based on the last 50+ years of Star Trek. Strange New Worlds is probably the best recent example. I don't think an arc needs to be just war or mystery. OK, lets do a save the universe arc then without the need to follow the breadcrumbs. Let's do a restore the Federation arc without needing to solve a mystery or save a universe. They've moved beyond established canon so they can pretty much do anything they want.

And they want to do season long arcs, involving a mystery.

 

[dinzy]

The Chase wasn’t a two-parter. Just a regular length single episode. Though a lot happened in it.

That is hilarious because I didn't even question it. It is so easy to read a false fact and accept it. That said, I thought of The Chase when I read the synopsis. Could be great, but also we kind of had something like this last season with Book.

 

[StarMan]

Sounds promising, so long as they keep the Galactic Apocalypse(TM) out of it.

But I'm not holding my breath on that.

Considering

"[..] But there are others on the hunt as well… dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it."

Someone has gone to the effort of hiding this power, with the revelation of its existence having triggered a race to claim it. We can assume that, if the dangerous foes get their hands on the ancient power first, there will be consequences of galactic import.

Sounds like another shade of Galactic Apocalypse™.

 

[fireproof78]

Also describes an Indiana Jones story...

 

[Paul755]

Also describes an Indiana Jones story...

if they could nail or at least get close to the tone of any of the Indiana Jones movies (Crystal Skull included) they’d really be cooking with fire.

 

[fireproof78]

if they could nail or at least get close to the tone of any of the Indiana Jones movies (Crystal Skull included) they’d really be cooking with fire.

Or heart. One of the two.

 

[Bornin1980something]

I'd say if it's been in every season since the first, it's the show's format.

I guess it also makes sense in universe as well, based on how they solved the Burn and 10-C, Discovery has become the Federation's rapid response, mystery solving team.

So who's their Scooby Doo?

 

[Saul]

That's not what Discovery is.

I don't understand why Discovery needs to be put into a box. It's a ship that can go anywhere in space (and time if they wanted to).

 

[Tuskin38]

I don't understand why Discovery needs to be put into a box. It's a ship that can go anywhere in space (and time if they wanted to).

Because that's the style of story telling that they want to show have. Just like they want SNW to be Episodic.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Too bad I can only give this post one like.

The way I see it is like this:

Discovery.
Discover the mystery.
They make... wait for it... wait for it!!! ... a Discovery!

What if the mystery IS the Discovery

Like, the one hanging out in a nebula for 1,000 years

 

[Lord Garth]

What if the mystery IS the Discovery

Like, the one hanging out in a nebula for 1,000 years

I want that. I want them to do a total mind-fuck.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Strange New Worlds is probably the best recent example.

A great many SNW episodes involve uncovering mysteries.

In fact it's kind of what Star trek is all about.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Does anybody else feel like 10 eps are too short to be considered a season?

If you go for seasons longer than that you end up with episodes like Too Short A Season